A Gaze through the Veil:

Chapter One: The Oppressed and the Oppressors.Iran was a constitutional monarchy ruled by a Shah until 1979; at this time an uprisingled by Islamic religious leaders resulted in the establishment of an Islamic Republic.In the years following the 1979 revolution, a series of new laws and regulations wereimposed on the citizens of Iran, these rules had a major effect on the artists ofIran.(Ervand,1993) In this chapter I will discuss how these laws emerged and how theleader of the revolution imposed a cultural reform upon Iran. I will examine thegoverning bodies and vigilante groups that enforce these restrictions by looking at thecensorship laws and the self-censorship that has evolved from these restrictions. I willlook at the consequences that have been experienced by some artists and how theseissues have been addressed by the Iranian artist Shirin Neshat.The function of these new laws which were applied after the Revolution was toenforce the rules and values of a fundamentalist regime upon the population. Theselaws had a major impact on artistic and academic communities. If an artist’s work oran academics writings did not comply with the values of Islam or spoke out againstthe government, they were met by severe punishments. In the early 1980’s manyartists and academic’s where banned, tortured, killed or forced into exile due to notmeeting these regulations. Although in recent years these laws have slightly relaxedand the artistic scene in Iran has flourished especially in film. This is only an illusionof free expression as today there is still an existence of a strict censorship regime inIran and a series of governing bodies that impose these laws. Artistic freedom is notthe only element that is restricted by these laws as there is a very strict policy in effectfor free speech and the freedom of the press. These laws that are imposed areextremely unpredictable; they are applied selectively and inconsistently. No stabilityexists for an artist in Iran, even if their previous work has been accepted, their futurework is still at risk and consequently this could lead to personal ruin, punishment,censorship or banning of their work. (Callamard, 2006)There is no independent newspaper in Iran this indicates that there is still a stronghold on free speech. Also books and films are issued a release permit but only afterfacing a rigorous series of political vetting. Every issue of a magazine must be